The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-04-07
An Odd Character.

An odd character is Maj. c. c. Ben.
nett who was seht to the city hospital
late one evening r1CeElly 10y Dr.. Priest
He is we'll advanced toward the al
ioted four-scOre years and ten, and is
row broken in spirit and physique
/ For sixteen years he was il resident Of
Honolulu, and only recently returned
to his own country. He Is ROW in that
! condition which is technically termed
"on his uppers," but, although the
drafts On his pocket are protested, hin
fund Of information is still replete.
''l first went TO the Sandwich Islands
for my health" said the major 'tIn
1851 I started across the plains to Cali
fornia, and While on top of the Sierra
Nevada mountains l was caught in
snoW-stoIm that came near ending my
life. When rescued ! could not speak,
and as result sustained severe
paTalytic- stroke. After stopping in
FRISCO several years 1 went to ths
Sandwich Islands, but only stopped
ehotl time, / returned to Honolulu in
1865, and among Ihy fellow-pd5senger
OH the steamer was sam Clemens. WHO
hat alrridy gained reputation on ths
coazt a hum0rist. He was then
wlitin" for the 4ha CailJor1ia and the
SACRAMENTO Union. He was about so
yelrs al age, and as jolly fellow as
you ever saw, brim1ni of funny stories
which he was continually telling, and
whenever he heard il funny one he
froze To il. dressed ii up and told it in
better style than he heard il
The women could shut him up.
though lie was what Il call bash
ful man, and whenever a lady appeared
near him he was as dumb IA, an oyster
If The female intrudei in the middle Of
4 YARN he shut up and sneaked off when
he found :. good opportunity Twain
only stopped om the islands a short
time, but he had many experiences that
he did not publish. The native girls
had great fun with him bathing in the
surf, ana one time cam- near drown
ing him. Mark was a fair swimmer,
but hn one except a native rnald swim
in the heavy surf thai rolf on the
beaches. They used tn make the bath
more agreeable by securing Il board
about four feet long on which they sup
ported themselves. He went our Oh i
board with a bevy of bathers one day,
among whom We're half dozen native
girls 1 wears of age. They splashed,
ducked. and thnnped him until the
breath was Out nf his body. and he Was
dragged on the beach unconscious.
Then he was stood ON his head. lifted
up, and dropped like piie-driver until
the wafer was supposed To be out of
him. He revived under treatment but
didn't see the joke, and afterward re-
ferred to the girls as devils. He visited
the volcanoes, made canoe voyages
around the island, tried In make some
of the savages laugh al his antics, and
then returned TO Frisco.
What is the native population of
the islands now?
Five years ago it was 1000, and
the former population was $4,000.
Notwithstanding the glowing reports
sent by the missionaries from the
island. Christianity is failure. The
natives have become so debased and de-
graded by foreign contact that i'm
morality is natural with them. Dis
| ease, leprOsy, and opium have entirely
| decimated the race. Two Cinnamon in
Honolulu pay a license of S4U, 900 each
per annum for the privilege of selling
opium"
Were you acquainted with Claus
Spreckels?"
Was II Well, 1 should say So
When l first went to Frisco in 1851 he
was keeping d gin-n1ill with board
resting on two barrels for counter.
When went to Honolulu he was there
again dealing in liquor in small way
He made money, bought up plantations
| cheap. and soon owned half the island.
He IS now worth nearly 800, 900, 900,
and controls the sugar trade OF the
| United States.
81 started in the stationery business,
| but the public would not read. tried
to make them, and started q weekly,
the files Of which you see over there
published this five years, doing most
OF the writing mFself, but finally it went
under in 1874. | returned to this coun-
try four years ago, and when l got
broke l began L. lecture The erysipe-
| las GOT hold OF me, and here l ain"
| The major has not leotured under the
| auspices Of any bureau, bat catches the
! public eve with small handblll bear
ing the following:
Mai. c. c. Bennett The extensive
traveller and renowned historian, and
| for sixteen wears i resident of the
Sandwich Islands. will give one Of his
intensely instructive and deeply inter
esting lectures on the subject OF Life
ia the Sandwich Islands Mention
will be made of the origin OF the
| Hawaiian race, their discovery, over
throw of idolatrv. missionaries. curse
OF Chinese lepro~y and opium, the great
volcano. goddess of fire, great eruption
| of 1868 and the lost continent. -St.
| Louis Republicans.